KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato -- Department of Education (Deped) Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte urged the Cotabateños not to support and succumb to the falsehoods propagated by the communist groups.
“May I remind all of you not to support the people who will destroy our peace in the province of North Cotabato. Let us not support terrorists. Let us not support the New People’s Army (NPA),” Duterte vehemently said.
The vice president, who was the guest speaker during the culminating activity of the Kalivungan Festival on Thursday, Sept. 1, instead encouraged the Cotabateños to ‘enjoy the experience of having a peaceful province.’
Duterte said that the Office of the Vice President will pursue only the best kind of programs and projects that shall benefit the Filipino people.
The vice president recalled how COVID-19 pandemic caused economic disruptions and losses – affecting employment, livelihood, and the education of the children.
“Today, you have shown that you are driving the road to recovery,” Duterte said.
“It should not be a lonely road. This should be a collective journey-our journey together-that even when we face challenges and threats, we do not cower, we do not stop and surrender to fear, to disappointments, to energies and forces that injure or break our spirit as a nation,” she added.
Duterte urged the officials and the Cotabateños to further pursue prosperity and ensure that the province ‘shines brighter as a beautiful destination in Mindanao and the country.’
She said the Kalivungan Festival is a celebration of the countless times that the Province of North Cotabato rejected adversity, divisiveness, and the numerous brutal armed conflicts that caused many lives–and instead, the province forged friendship, alliances, and unities and addressed the causes of conflicts down to the grassroots,” she said.
“I am confident that you will remain resolute and courageous in taking on and overcoming even the most difficult of challenges and even the darkest of times that may come your way in the future,” added Duterte.
Duterte said the province should sustain the gains of the friendships and unity everyone has forged despite the diversity and ensure the next generation of Cotabateños will be able to experience the abundance of their resources, the culture, and the harmonious and peaceful life everyone has today.